They finished in exactly that order on the annual fan ballot; Bon Jovi was actually a wire-to-wire champion. In votes dating back to 2013, every act who's led in this poll ended up as part of the next class. The Top 5 in fan balloting, however, was rounded out by Judas Priest – and they missed out. These choices were added to those submitted by more than 900 music professionals to determine the next group of honorees.

Inductions are set for April 14 in Cleveland; the event will again be filmed by HBO for a subsequent broadcast. Rules state that an artist must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to induction. Dire Straits and the Moody Blues, though long eligible, were first-time nominees.

Bon Jovi's induction sets up a potential reunion with long-time former guitarist Richie Sambora, who left in 2013. Asked in October if he would perform on stage with his former bandmates, should they be inducted, Sambora said: "I think so, yeah. Everything's cool. Everything's copacetic."

Benjamin Orr, a key member of the Cars, died of cancer in 2000. Denny Laine, who sang the Moody Blues' first (and only) U.K. No. 1 single, was not included among their list of honorees.